I recently discovered one of my favorite recipes ever! I was browsing around my friend Carol’s drool-worthy blog, From a Chef’s Kitchen, and discovered this recipe for her Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake. I became instantly obsessed. I made it once a week, every week for an entire month… I loved that it was so easy to assemble and virtually hands off as it baked away – Leaving me with about an hour to hop on the treadmill as it bubbled away in the oven. I love it on its own, but Rick prefers to stuff the mixture into some warmed tortillas and eat it like a taco. I’ve gotta say, a dollop of sour cream on top pretty much takes it over the edge that it’s already toeing at!

Then, I tied my two obsessions together – This Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake recipe and my new Instant Pot. I figured that as great as it is that I can hop on the treadmill while dinner bakes away, sometimes I’m just feeling lazy, and I want to eat… quick!

This recipe is quite similar to Carol’s recipe, with just a few tweaks here and there… With the Instant Pot, there’s no evaporation, so you don’t need quite as much liquid. Also, I swapped out the green peppers for red peppers, omitted the thyme and added oregano instead, and sprinkled on some fresh cilantro at the end. As you can see, Carol gets all the credit, I just adapted her recipe to work for me in the Instant Pot.

Of course, I’m using lentils and brown rice from my favorite company, Bob’s Red Mill. I love that their products are produced right here in Oregon. When I was younger, my dad would always drive us from Eugene to Portland (2 hours for a kid = ugh) just to stock up on Bob’s Red Mill products – Cornmeal, flour, beans. Nowadays, you can just buy their products right in your local grocery store and there’s such a huge selection!!!

Those lentils and brown rice cook up perfectly with just 15 minutes of high pressure and, by using the Instant Pot, you shave about an hour off the cooking time… So, unfortunately, there’s not enough time to hop on the treadmill. But, there’s plenty of time to enjoy a glass of wine!

After the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then, if there’s any remaining pressure left in the Instant Pot, do a quick release. Take off the lid, sprinkle on all that yummy cheese, and cover it back up for about 5 minutes to let it get nice and melty. Then, spoon the cheesy southwestern lentils and brown rice into bowls, or serve them taco-style in tortillas with your favorite toppings. Enjoy with aforementioned glass of wine…

Instructions

Add all ingredients, except cheese and cilantro, to your Instant Pot. Set to manual and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes then release remaining pressure.

Remove cover and stir in half of the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and replace the cover. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Hi Jodi – I haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker personally, but I searched the web for some similar lentil & brown rice dishes and it looks like this should turn out perfectly in a slow cooker if you cook it for 4 hours on HIGH or 7-8 hours on LOW. I’d love to hear back from you if you test it out!

If you double the recipe — will it be too much volume for the instant pot? would you also recommend changing cooking time for doubling the recipe? I am hoping to make this for eight people. Would appreciate thoughts.

Hi Michelle – It should not be a problem to double the recipe, and it should not affect the cooking time either. If you find it needs a bit more time, you can always reseal the pot and high pressure for a couple more minutes. Hope this helps!

I made this for the first time last night in my brand-new Instant Pot. Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, I’ll fiddle with a recipe after preparing it for the first time, but this is the rare one that I think is perfect as-is. I’m a total carnivore, and I didn’t even miss having any meat. Bravo!

I love this recipe.. It make it every 2-3 weeks and bring it to work (cheese not stirred in). It stores well in the fridge this way and is super tasty, filling and cheap. Small modifications: – White onions and yellow/orange/more bell peppers.. are perfectly OK if that’s what you have on hand – I use pickled jalapenos instead of canned chiles. So 2-3 tablespoons. – I like to reduce the salt a bit during cooking and then use some nice flaky salt before serving

I only had white rice in the house, so this is what I did: I followed the basic instructions (see substitutions) except I left the rice out. Cooked for 15 minutes manual, then did QR, added the rice (after checking to make sure I had enough liquid), and then cooked for another 5 minutes manual. NPR for 15 minutes, then finished the recipe. Delicious! This is a wonderful way to make lentils and rice! I used two undrained 10-oz cans of Rotel instead of the diced tomatoes and diced chiles. I also add about two handfuls of fresh spinach and stir until wilted before adding the cheese. Thanks so much for this recipe.

This was a hit with the family. I squeezed in a little lime juice at the end since I happened to have a lime, and served with sour cream and extra shredded cheese on the side. (I mixed in about a cup of shredded cheese, but didn’t put more on top.) I don’t buy taco seasoning because it’s too salty. I added 2 Tbsp chili powder and 1 1/2 tsp cumin instead and cut back on the salt. (I made 1 1/2 times the recipe for four of us including a young adult son who eats a lot. We had plenty, but might not have had any leftovers if I hadn’t increased it and I like having leftovers.) The recipe cooked perfectly! I’m always a little afraid to open the lid to see if it worked. I’m still fairly new to Instant Pot cooking. Thanks for a great recipe!

Erin – what size Instant Pot did you use? I have one that is the 3 quart size for just the hubby and me, but since I got it for Christmas I haven’t used it yet. Your recipe looks like the perfect one to start with! Thanks ~

I absolutely loved this! Musty made it tonight. I got pietite diced tomatoes that had hatch chilies in the can with them and added the other can as dictated by the recipe. I also roasted the bell pepper before dicing it and adding it. This turned out amazing and was the second recipe I’ve made in my Instant Pot. I served it with some sour cream and corn bread like I would a chili. My boyfriend gobbled it up and went back for seconds! Thank you for this great recipe! It’s definitely going to be added to my wick weeknight rotation. Little prep and huge rewards! Total time for me was about an hour, including roasting my pepper and hand dicing the onion and mincing the garlic. A+

Why oh why didn’t I listen to my gut and double this recipe? It was soooo good! Cheap, fast and healthy too. My kind of meal! I topped with some plain yogurt, cilantro, avocado, some roasted yams and green onions too. I’ll be sure to double it next time. Thank you!

Great recipe and it was my first go in my new instant pot! I used red lentils and modified the tomatoes to use Rotel diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro (lable doesn’t list chili peppers but ingredients does) and they were hot so I used half a 10 oz can and added a giant raw chopped tomato. I was out of oregano so I mixed marjoram, basil and thyme as a substitute. It will go in my must use file. Thanks for posting Erin.

Great recipe and among one the best things I’ve made with the pressure cooker. I’ve made it twice now and both times it turned out really delicious. I used spicy taco seasoning for a little extra kick. Really easy to throw together and you’ll have a delicious meal for days.

Does this come out soupy? I don’t want soupy. Does the liquid get absorbed? If not, should I reduce liqud? Looking forward to making it tomorrow so would welcome feedback from those who have already made it.

I made this for a potluck for my local food co-op, and it was a hit! I left the cheese on the side so that vegans could enjoy it as well, and then people could add as much or little as they liked. We also topped it with sour cream as well. I enjoyed it so much that I made it for myself again later in the week! Mine did not turn out liquid-y at all as it appears in your recipe photos. I brought bowls for the potluck but it could have easily been dished out on plates. I enjoy using it as a dip for tortilla chips as well with some green onions on top. I have a 3qt and made the entire recipe. It fits perfectly and is below the max fill line, in case anyone else has the mini 🙂

Wow this was awesome! I’m a total meat eater but this didn’t at all make me miss meat. I had it with some avocado cubes, sour cream and some spicy jalapeños – did not disappoint! Was like a meaty filling chili but didn’t miss the meat! Will absolutely make again!

I had everything I needed to make this in my pantry and fridge already. My non-veg husband went back for seconds. He rarely ever does that. I also used a can of mild Ro-tel, a half of yellow bell pepper in addition to the red. Since there are only two of us, we’re going to have the leftovers in wraps.

This recipe is absolutely outstanding. I am new to the instant pot and to eating lentils. I regret that I didn’t try lentils sooner. This was one of my fist recipes to try in my Instant Pot Mini. My whole family loved it. My daughter was shocked to rralize there was no chicken in it until she was halfway through with her bowl. A true masterpiece of a recipe. I’ve made it 4 times now. Thanks so much for making me a fan of lentils!

Hi Sarah – That may be a little tough, because quinoa cooks really quickly in the Instant Pot (just 1 minute). I’m thinking that it will be way overdone, and mushy if you use the full 15 minutes, but you need the 15 minutes to ensure that the lentils are done… I would maybe make the lentils in the Instant Pot (without the rice) and then stir in some cooked quinoa. I hope that helps!

Thanks for this great recipe, we really enjoyed it and look forward to having it again.

However, as written the recipe is loaded with salt, almost half of the daily recommended amount in one meal! This is a problem for people with high blood pressure and others who need or want to control their salt intake. The solution is simple. I reduced the amount of salt called for in the recipe by about half and made my own taco seasoning because the brand you recommended and all commercial seasonings are usually loaded with salt, msg and other ingredients whose names are hard to pronounce.

The fat content of the meal is also pretty high, perhaps because of all that yummy cheese. For those who love cheese, as I do, but would like to cut their fat intake a bit, this can be accomplished by using reduced-fat cheese. I know, some people claim they can taste a difference between regular and low-fat cheese, but this dish is so spicy, and so much of the cheese is mixed in with the other ingredients that few people would notice any difference. Indeed, my wife volunteered that the 75%-reduced-fat cheddar I used in this dish tasted as good as the full-fat cheddar (same brand) she uses on her tuna melts.

Has anyone tried this with short grain brown rice? When I cook on its own I usually do 22 minute cook and 5 min natural release. Seems like this might work with the longer natural release time even though the cook time is shorter? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!

Just tried this last night with my husband. It was so so good! The only thing I noticed was the brown rice was a little hard, wasn’t cooked very well. It still tasted great but do you think adding a couple minutes under pressure would solve that problem? Thanks for the great recipe!!

You don’t have to make any modifications, but after making this at least a hundred times, I’ve found that the following works really well: 1) Go ahead and just a whole red onion and a whole red pepper. 2) Use a full carton of vegetable broth (it’s just a tad more than what the recipe calls for). 3) You don’t have to use Bob’s brand lentils and rice. I just buy the store brand. They’re cheaper. 4) I make my own taco seasoning instead of using store bought. Just Google or use the following : 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, some garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder.. You really can’t screw it up!

And I don’t add cheese to the InstaPot–it just makes it hard to clean. Just sprinkle the cheese on top! Don’t forget the cilantro and chips. This will be your favorite chili. Happy InstaPotting!

Made this for dinner tonight and my whole family loved it, including my meat-loving husband. Even my toddler gobbled it up! I added some frozen corn at the end to brighten it up (and make it look more toddler-friendly) and topped with avocado. Huge, huge hit!!

Oh my gosh! This is my second instant pot meal and it was SO simple to make and turned out perfectly. I had already began the natural release when I read the comments and got nervous about the people who said the brown rice could’ve been cooked more because I really really dislike undercooked brown rice but that wasn’t my experience at all. I made zero changes to this recipe and will definitely make it again!

I’ve made this several times. I only use half the cheese (I cut out the cheese topping part) and since I’m vegan, I use a bag of Daiya shreds. It works and it is so good. It is perfect for these winter months.

Awesome recipe! I added some shredded zucchini and carrot because I try to sneak extra veggies into everything. My 2 year old asked for seconds!! Just an FYI to anyone who might see this: I doubled the recipe in my 6qt instant pot and while it fit fine, it took 45 minutes to come up to pressure. Add 15 minutes cook time and 15 min NR, it took quite a bit longer than I was expecting.

I just made this and it will be a new quick go-to. I used 1/2 cup rice and 1 cup lentils for some more protein and fewer carbs and it came out just perfect! These 2 ingredients are easily interchangeable without adding more liquid. I couldn’t find the specific canned ingredients so ended up using two 8oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles without draining. My steak-loving partner really liked this and it was easy to customize his with more cilantro and mine with extra hot sauce and fresh diced onions for some crunch. Thank you for the recipe!

Great recipe and easily veganized with the new Follow Your Heart spicy southwestern cheese blend—so good. I love it when someone else has figured out the liquid amounts to convert a recipe to the instant pot. And done it perfectly.

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